Notes and Editorial Reviews

I sometimes wonder if weRead more would ever give any attention to these sonatas if they had been written by anyone other than Mozart—at the tender age of eight. Probably not. They might attract the interest of a few flutists, but that is all. And yet the fact is that they are very curious historical documents, and it is fun to try and discover the glimpses of genius hidden in the middle of phrases that are otherwise quite common. And heavens! The boy was only eight!

Still, because they are usually classified among the interesting oddities of the Classical music repertoire, it is rare to find a complete version of these works, and even rarer to find the package so luxuriously wrapped. Carol Wincenc and Gena Raps are excellent performers, and it is surprising to hear them playing such simple pieces. The good news is that they do this in all seriousness, playing with a degree of sophistication that exceeds by far our expectations. The chamber playing is extraordinarily smooth, phrases flowing with a naturalness that can only be achieved with great maturity and humbleness. Both musicians have excellent technique on their respective instruments, as well as an obvious affinity with each other, and together they manage to make this music sound very palatable, indeed. If I have one misgiving about their interpretation, it is that, in order to somehow disguise the lightness of these works, they choose rather brisk tempos, sometimes at odds with the simple, carefree character of the movements. I would also like a straighter sound from the flute, with scanter vibrato, less energy in direction, and less drama in intention. But that is the period-instrument fanatic in me speaking, of course. For the normal listener, this recording is just fine.

In short, this is not the very best Mozart you will ever hear. But it is still Mozart, and the interpretation is better than anyone could wish for. If you are at all interested in the composer’s childhood production, it is a CD not to be missed.